RealLivePreacher.com

Gordon Atkinson was the pastor of a small church in San Antonio, Texas. But he is more widely known to a large online readership simply as “The Preacher,” having posted many honest, witty, probing reflections on the blog called RealLivePreacher.com. Within months of the blog’s start in late 2002, thousands of people were coming to read Atkinson’s latest postings.

This book gathers the finest of Atkinson’s electronic essays (reworked for print publication), together with nine new writings never posted online. As veteran blog readers already know, Atkinson’s mind skews here and there, commenting on the stars, children, and tamales as often as he considers the foibles of life and faith. Readers will meet Earl the gravedigger; the little blue shoes girl; Elliot, whose birth was called Advent; and George, a deacon whose legacy lives in a rock embedded in a church wall. These are all real people, and the make up just part of the fascinating world of RealLivePreacher.com

Anyone wondering about the spiritual side of Atkinson’s writing can expect challenges. One of his aims is “to find God in the seams and transitions of life, especially at the places where sacred meets secular.” He’s not afraid to explore the full spectrum of life, including the disturbing. No matter the subject, however, the common thread running through these essays is the search for God in it all.

Artwork created by Steve Erspamer used by permission of Liturgical Training Publication.

“All in all, the most fascinating aspect of RealLivePreacher.com is its striking honesty. [Gordon]…shows us how God works faith in each and every one of us, no matter how broken, lost or thoroughly screwed up we are. This is Good News indeed.” —Cindy Appel